Wed.’s Devo - Settling Accounts -

Read: 2 Samuel 20:14-22:20; Acts 1:1-26; Psalm 121:1-8; Proverbs 16:18 Sheba who had been proclaimed king of Israel went to Abel of Beth-maacah which is in the tribe of Naphtali. It was a metropolis and known for its strength and importance. Sheba, who was a Bichrite assembled all his fellow Bichrites with him there. *** Joab attacked the city and besieged the city. He set up battering rams to break through its wall. A wise woman in the city asked to speak with Joab. When thy met, she explained how the city of Abel was known for its wise men. It was considered a “mother in Israel.” She wanted to know why Joab would want to snuff them out. He told her, his battle was only with Sheba the son of Bichri who was trying to usurp David’s place as king. He told her he would call off his men if they would hand Sheba over to him. She told him his head would be coming over the wall. *** She went into the city and told them how to stop being attacked. They found Sheba and beheaded him and threw his head over the wall. Joab blew his trumpets and took his men home. *** There was a famine in the land, so David sought the Lord to find out why. He showed him that Saul, in his zeal for Israel, had killed the Gibeonites who had a covenant with Israel. David went to meet with the surviving Gibeonites to ask them how he could atone for the wrong that Saul had done. They didn’t want to be bought. They wanted Saul’s house to be punished so they asked for seven of Sauls sons so they could hang them before the Lord at Gibeah. *** David agreed, but spared Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth because of the covenant he had made with Jonathan. The seven sons were hung around the time of Passover. Two of Rizpah’s sons were hung. She refused to let the birds and the wild animal’s eat their bodies so she camped out and kept them from eating them. When David found out about it he had all of them along with Saul and Jonathan’s bones buried in Saul’s family tomb in Zela of Benjamin. *** God saw this and ended the famine. *** Israel went to war with the Philistines and killed four giants. David was almost killed in the battle and was saved by Abishai. David’s men decided that David was too old to fight anymore and needed to stay home where he would be safe. *** The day that God delivered David from the hand of Saul, David penned this Psalm in Chapter 22. It is repeated in the Psalms. It is the picture of what God did for Israel in David’s time and what God did for Jesus as he died on the cross. God came down and fought for both of them and delivered them from their earthly enemies and their spiritual enemy - Satan. *** Acts was written by Paul to a young mentee named Theophilus. This is his book of what happened after Jesus died and rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples for 40 days. *** The last time Jesus appeared to them, he told his disciples not to stay where they were, but to go to Jerusalem where they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would give them power to be his witnesses at home and to the ends of the earth. After he told them this, he ascended up in a cloud. While they were watching him leave, two angels stood beside them in which robes. He told them that Jesus would come back just like he left - in a cloud. *** They returned to Jerusalem and stayed in an upper room where they devoted themselves to pray and wait. *** One of those days, Peter stood among his friends and spoke of what had happened to Judas Iscarot. He had bought a field with the money he received for betraying Jesus and fell headfirst on the rocks and died. The field became knowns as “Field of Blood.” *** Prophets had foretold this and said that they should get someone to take his place. They wanted someone who had been with them from the time of John’s teachings till now - someone who had witnessed his resurrection. They put forward two men - Joseph and Matthias. They prayed and cast lots and it fell on Matthias so he was added in Judas’ place. *** Lord, everything points back to you. History keeps repeating itself and your story keeps being told. You are the center of everything. You are our keeper. May we honor you, today with our lives and our devotion.